Extensible clothing-support.



0. T. WILT. BXTENSIBLE CLOTHING: SUPPORT. 'APPLIOATION TILED. AIZ'QJJ), 1908.

' Patented July'5, 1910.

2 sums-sum 1.

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0.1mm; EXTENSIBLE .OLQTHING SUPPORT. APPLIOATIQH FILED AUG. 10, 190B.

Patent'd July 5, 1910.

a sums-sum 2.

THE NDRRIS PlriRs cm. WASHINGI'DN, n. c

UNTTED STATES PATENT UFFTCE.

CHARLES T. WIL'I, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS, ASSIGNOR TO CHAS. T. WILT, A COPART- NERSI-IIP COMPOSED OF CHARLES T. WILT AND ELMER E. WILT, OF CHICAGO, ILLI- NOIS.

EXTENSIBLE CLOTHING-SUPPORT.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented July 5, 1910.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, CHARLES T. lVlL'r, a citizen of the United States, and a resident of Chicago, in the county of Cook and State of Illinois, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Extensible Clothing-Supports; and I do hereby declare that the following is a full, clear, and exact description thereof, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, and to the numerals of reference marked thereon, which form a part of this specification.

This invention relates to improvements in extensible clothing supports for wardrobes and other compartments in which the support and the clothing supported thereby are adapted to be normally contained within the compartment, said support being designed to be withdrawn from the compartment to bring the clothing or other articles entirely outside of the compartment for the purpose of display or to afford convenient access thereto.

Among the objects of the invention is to provide an exceedingly simple, compact and strong supporting device of the character referred to, and the invention consists in the matters hereinafter set forth and more particularly pointed out in the appended claims.

In the drawings :-Figure 1 is a sectional View of a compartment provided with an extensible support made in accordance with my invention. Figs. 2 and 3 are perspective views of the members of the supporting rail and the brackets for mounting the same in the compartment. Fig. 4 is a perspective view of a device for connecting the hangerbar with its supporting slide. Fig. 5 is an enlarged longitudinal sectional view of the device, shown in the position which it occupies when contained wholly within the compartment. Fig. 6 is a cross-section taken on line 66 of Fig. 5. Fig. 7 is a view similar to Fig. 5 with the supporting device shown in a partially extended position. Fig. 8 is a similar view showing the supporting device fully withdrawn or extended. Fig. 9 is a detail section taken on line 99 of Fig. 7.

A supporting device embodying my invention may be employed for supporting clothing or other articles in a stationary wardrobe, a wardrobe trunk or other compartment from which the suspended articles are intended to be withdrawn for use or inspection.

As shown in the drawings, 15 designates a compartment, which may be a portion of a wardrobe trunk, a stationary wardrobe or the like, and said compartment will usually be closed at its front or open side by a swinging or sliding door.

My improved supporting device comprises an extensible or telescopic supporting rail consisting of the two members 16, 17, respectively, a hanger-bar 18 upon which the clothing or other articles are adapted to be sus pended in any suitable manner, and a hanger-bar slide 19 which is supported on the two-part or telescopic rail. Said hanger bar and its slide are connected at their ends by connecting pieces 20, 2O hereinafter'to be described. The outer or main member 16 of the telescopic rail is tubular and receives the inner or smaller member 17. Said inner member of the telescopic rail is likewise tubular and receives the slide 19 of the hanger-bar 18. The main or outer member of the supporting rail 16 is made of a length to be contained Wholly within the compartment and is supported from the upper wall of thecompartment by means of brackets 22, 22 which are fixed to said upper wall by screws or the like. Said brackets are pro vided with horizontally alined openings in which the ends of the main member 16 of the supporting rail closely fit. The said main member of the supporting rail is provided. interiorly at its forward end with a short tube section 24 which provides within the same a rearwardly facing annular shoulder 25. The extension member 17 of the rail is made of substantially less exterior diameter than the diameter of the main section or member and fits snugly within the tube section 24 at the outer end of said outer member of the rail. Said inner or extension member of the rail is provided with a short tube section. 26 surrounding the same and afilording at the rear end of said extension rail a forwardly facing annular shoulder 27. Said tube sections 24; and 26 may be at tached to the sections of the extension rail by screws or the like. The main member of the rail is provided at its under side with a slot 28 extending continuously from end to end thereof, and the supporting brackets 22 are slotted on their under sides in line with said slot 28, as shown at 29; The said tube section 24L within the main member of the slotted rail is slotted in the plane of said slot 28. The extension member of the rail is provided for a portion of its length at its under side with a slot 32 which lies in the plane of the slot 28 and extends in rear of the forward end of said member 17. Said slot 32 terminates intermediate the ends of the extension member to afford a rearwardly facing shoulder 33. The tube section 26 is longitudinally slotted in the plane of the slot 32 of the extension member of the rail.

The hanger bar 18 consists, as herein shown, of a metal tube of a length to becont-ained wholly within the compartment 15, and said hanger bar is reinforced by a wooden or other fibrous core 35 which extends substantially from end to end of said bar. The hanger-bar slide is likewise composed of a metal tube of the length of the hanger rail and is in a like manner remforced by a wooden or other fibrous core 36. The hanger-bar and its slide are connected at their ends to form an elongated loop, as indicated in dotted lines in Fig. l, by the fittings 20 hereinbefore referred to. Said fittings are of U-shape, and: each consists of two fiat, parallel shank portions 37, 37 and a. transverse connecting part 38. The shank portions 37, 37 of each fitting are adapted to be driven into the cores of the hanger bar and hanger bar slide, and for this purpose the ends of said shanks are sharpened or beveled as shown in Figs. 4 and 9. Preferably, also, said-shank portions are roughened or indented on their side faces to prevent easy withdrawal thereof from the cores of the hanger bar and hanger bar slide. To this end the side faces of said shanks are shown as formed with barbs or raised projections 40, 40, of a form to permit the shanks to be readily driven into the wooden cores but interlock therewith to prevent free withdrawal, as clearly indicated in Fig. 9. The said connecting fittings 20 are provided at the rear ends of their shanks with shoulders 41 which limit the driving of the shanks into the cores of the hanger bar and slide. The transverse portions 38 of said connecting fittings 20 are made narrow and are flattened and made thin to slide through the slotted parts of the main and extension members of the rail and the corresponding slotted portions of the brackets.

The parts or members of the extensible supporting device occupy the position shown in Fig. 5 when contained wholly within the compartment 15. As shown in said figure, the extension member 17 of the rail is contained wholly within the main tubular member thereof and the hanger bar slide is con tained wholly within the tubular extension member of said rail. In this position of the parts the external shoulder 27 of the extension member of the rail, formed by the tube section 26, is located at the rear end of the main member of said rail, while the internal shoulder 25 of the main member of the supporting rail, formed by the tube section 24:, is located at the front end of the device. Therefore, upon withdrawal of the device to bring it to its extended position outside of the compartment, the extension member of rail will move outwardly until the stop shoulder 27 is brought against the stop shoulder 25, which position. is the limit of the outward movement of the extension member and is the position shown in Fig. 7. Thereafter in the further withdrawal of the device the hanger bar and itsslide will move outwardly relatively to the extension rail member until the outward travel of said hanger bar is arrested by engagement of the transverse portion of the rearmost connecting fitting 20 with the shoulder 33 at the end of the slot 32 in the extension rail member, this position being illustrated in Fi 8 and indicated in-Fig. 1. When the device is drawn out to its outermost position, the hanger bar and the article which may be suspended thereon are withdrawn to a position entirely outside the compartment whereby access may be had to the suspended article from all sides thereof.

It will be seen that I have provided an exceedingly simple supporting device which may be made at small cost and which possesses ample strength, and is capable of being compactly arranged in small space when not in use. The use of the tubes having the limiting stops or shoulders and provided with longitudinal slots to permit the hangerbar connections to slide therein permits the device to be made of few parts which may be readily assembled at small cost to produce a strong and durable device. Said construction largely avoids the machining of parts when fitting and assembling them. The attachment of the hanger bar to its slide by the thin U-shaped fittings driven into the wooden cores of said bar and slides affords a connection of great strength and durability and one which may be readily applied at small expense.

I claim as my invention 1. An extensible supporting device comprising an extensible supporting rail consisting of two tubular members, one sliding within the other, the outer stationary member of said rail being provided at its forward end with an interior short tube form ing a rearwardly facing shoulder adapted for engagement with an exterior shoulder on the rear end of the inner or extension member formed by the end of a tube section surrounding said inner member, a hanger bar, a slide therefor located within and having sliding engagement with said inner extensible member of the rail, said outer member being slitted at its lower side throughout its length and the inner or extensible member being slitted for a portion of its length in the plane of the slit of the outer member, and fittings connecting said hanger bar and slide at their ends and adapted to extend through the slitted portions of the telescopic members of the rail.

2. An extensible supporting device comprising a supporting rail consisting of an outer tubular member and an inner tubular member having sliding or telescopic engagement therewith, said outer member being provided at its forward end with an interior, rearwardly facing shoulder and the inner member being provided at its rear end with an exterior forwardly facing shoulder adapted for engagement with said interior shoulder to limit the outward movement of the inner member, said Outer member being slitted throughout its length and the inner member being slitted from its rear end through a portion of its length, a hangerbar, a slide located within and having sliding engagement with said inner tubular member of the rail, and U-shaped fittings connecting said bar and slide at their ends, each comprising two shank portions extending into the ends of said bar and slide and a transverse connecting portion, said transverse portions of the fittings being adapted to slide in the slitted parts of the tubular members of the rail and the transverse portion of one of said fittings engaging the end of the slot of the inner member of the rail to limit the withdrawal movement of the hanger-bar.

3. The combination with a metal tube and a fitting, of means for attaching said fitting to said tube comprising a wood or fibrous core within the tube, said fitting having a shank which is driven into the end of the core.

4. The combination with a metal tube and a fitting, of means for attaching said fitting to said tube comprising a wood or fibrous core within the tube, said fitting having a shank which is driven into the end of the core, said shank being provided on its side faces with barbs.

In testimony, that I claim the foregoing as my invention I afiix my signature in the presence of two witnesses, this 5th day of August A. D. 1908.

' CHARLES T. WVILT.

Witnesses:

SAYLOR E. BROWN, GEORGE E. WILKINS. 

